Category Archives: China

Putuoshan Island is dedicated to the goddess of compassion, Guanyin. Above she is depicted on the central altar in Puji temple with a smaller statue of Tara below her. Practitioners come in droves to pray for her mercy and offering gratitude for her blessings. Her large countenance creates a sense of awe when you enter the temple and there is a hushed quiet in the movement of men and women circumambulating her altar.

In September I will be returning to Putuoshan and other sacred sites in of Guanyin to guide a 12 day pilgrimage sponsored by True Nature Journeys. Please check out: Sacred China and consider joining us!

By trusting in our own resources of understanding, energy and insight we have access to the power to go beyond the boundaries of our conditioning. We begin naturally to explore the depths and possibilities of our own being.

Announcing a rare opportunity to journey to China next September to visit sites sacred to the Goddess of Compassion, Guanyin. We will travel together as a small group of pilgrims and practice mindfulness to enhance our receptivity, wisdom and compassion.

The image above is from the Dazu grottos where we will see many beautiful statues and reliefs carved into caves and cliff sites. These sacred images from the 7th – 13 centuries are well preserved and still have their original paint. We will also visit Anyue, Qingcheng and the island of Putuoshan, dedicated to Guanyin since the 9th century.

For more information on this pilgrimage, lead by Deborah Bowman and sponsored by True Nature Journeys, click this link: Sacred China.

For those of you looking for an armchair experience and lots of photos of these rare site, stay tuned to this blog in the coming months!

This poem by the 18th century Chinese nun, Ziyong, provided the anchor for the faculty commencement speech I gave this year the Naropa University. I spoke about the lessons I learned from a climbing accident I barely survived in 1979. It taught me to look for the wisdom in every moment! Please check it out by clicking on: 12 minute speech

In gratitude,

Deborah

P.S. I took this photo at Wat Arun in Bangkok. He reminds me of the joy of living.

Spirituality is the movement from our prison of self-blame and self-preoccupation to an inclusive and open engagement with all of life. In many ways a spiritual path is essentially about connection – a deep connection to our own inherent capacity for wisdom and love no matter what, a connection to a bigger picture of life no matter what. ~Sharon Salzberg

This image of Guanyin, taken at Fayu temple on the island of Putuoshan, captures her amid many historic and mythological figures of China. It captures the spiritual importance Chinese Buddhists place on her role as the Bodhisattva of Compassion and her relationship to the vast pantheon of spiritual personalities.

The diorama was placed on the backside of the altar and she was “mobbed” by worshippers as they circumambulated the temple. I had to wait for an opportunity to capture her photo as individuals bowed and made offerings at the statue’s feet.

In the photo below, in Shanghai, we discovered another diorama featuring Guanyin placed similarly in the Jade Temple. It was a day to honor ancestors and again we encountered large crowds making offering to Guanyin and Buddha.

We never encountered another Westerner in the days we spent visiting temples and gathering images of Guanyin in China. In some ways we were invisible yet connected, everyone intent in their devotion to the divine.

Focusing on the qualities of selflessness central to Guanyin, we will explore her incarnation as the Chinese folk legend Miao-shan, and compare her to the Handless Maiden in the western fairy tale. These stories ask soul-searching questions: What is sacrifice? What is unconditional love? How is the feminine liberated from patriarchal dictates?

Join Deborah Bowman in a search of the transcendent at temple sites in Asia. Enjoy the draw of both famous and obscure sites at times of silence or among throngs at colorful festivals. Come now to enjoy a feast of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas or learn tips for great shots at exquisite gardens or inside darkened temples.

The wooden and stone buddhas and bodhisattvas in temples are not the real Buddha that can inspire us. They merely help calm us so we can concentrate our minds on the study of the teachings of Buddha. The truly inspiring Buddha can only be found in our hearts. ~ Cheng Yen

The building above is the entrance to the Fayu temple complex built on the side of a mountain on Putuoshan Island in China. You may enter five major temples one after another as you walk up steps between each exquisite site. Each temple is either dedicated to a particular Buddha or Buddhas or the bodhisattva Guanyin. The site was dazzling and took us over two hours to visit and make offerings at each temple.

The Guanyin image above was in the final temple at the top and was my favorite in the complex. She has a vase on one shoulder and a bird sitting on her other shoulder. The vase represents the healing amrita or water she offers others and the bird refers to the parrot that became her constant companion after she healed his grief from losing his mother. The rest of the temple was filled with many magnificent large and small Buddhas and Guanyin figures.

Putuoshan Island off the coast of Shanghai is one of the four sacred Buddhist mountains in China. Each mountain is dedicated to a particular Bodhisattva and Putuoshan is dedicated to Guanyin, the goddess of compassion.

Last month I visited the many temples dedicated to her at Putuoshan and spent a week studying with Dr. Chun-Fang Yu, Columbia University’s scholar on the Guanyin. We studied the transformation of this deity from male into female over many centuries in Chinese history. While in certain settings Guanyin is still depicted as male, at Putuoshan she is primarily considered female and tied to the Chinese folk legend of Miaoshan, a young woman who is transformed into Guanyin through her exceptional sacrifices.

Guanyin Statue in reconstruction at Fayu Temple on Putuoshan Island

I’ll be sharing more of the story of Miaoshan later in this blog and also for the C.G. Jung Society in Denver on Oct 4. Learn more about the talk at www.thefemalebuddha.com

Guanyin: Archetype of Liberation and Love: Friday Oct 4, 7 p.m., First Divine Science Church, 14th Ave. and Williams St., $15 at the door, $10 for students and seniors